Unconsciousness
by ell25
Summary: Is she really sorry for what she has done, what she has become? Iroh takes the news of Zuko's death harshly. Alternate scene occurring when the fight ceases between Katara, Zuko and Azula and the aftermath of it.
1. Death

_Thanks for reading! Reviews as always are a writer's best friend! :) Rated for char. death._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

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She watches as her world spins away before her in a perfect transition. She is then left with bottomless black; encircled, surrounded, enclosed, with only herself to blame. She's been beaten and she falls unconsciousness with pride and the beauty of a princess.

And mere seconds later her ear splitting scream pierces the sky above as her eyes glaze over, a distant gaze protruding from them. Shrouded in reds of her home, her nation, she lies on the ground and lets her salty tears spill over. She attempts to wipe them away with the heel of her hand but they keep falling in streams.

"I'm sorry," she whispers in a distant tone. But does she mean it? "I'm sorry!" she screams to the heavens and it all disappears; she regains consciousness. The black, misty, blurred atmosphere leaves a dark aura behind but sunlight still manages to break through.

Her eyes scrunch up out of impulse but the light still seeps through her eyelids. They slowly open and meet sunlight…and what else? that peasant girl looking over her. Katara smirks at Azula's dilemma and runs over to a figure lying lifeless on the ground. Now it's Azula's turn to smirk. And not only smirk but laugh. Throw her head back and laugh manically, that crazy look in her acute eyes.

She shakes the chains that are holding her down to the grate…but to no avail. But she doesn't care, her work here is done. Her brother is surely dead and not anyone can do anything about it.

There are no sounds but the whimpering of Katara who leans against Ex-Fire Prince Zuko's chest.

Azula's hair hangs loosely in front of her face, but she can still see the pain and sorrow in Katara's demeanor. This gives Azula another reason to laugh but causes her to fall back into darkness; her eyes close peacefully, a calm state washing over her.

"Zuko," Katara whispers as she lies still. There is nothing she can do but cry. And even that begins to have no effect and she is all out of tears. She hears no breathing and nor is his chest rising and falling in a perfect rhythm. He is dead, and she out of everyone knows it. No amount of water can save him now; he is in a deep slumber to never be awoken again.

Reassuring and comforting arms reach around her and she leans into them. They sit alone, silent and motionless as a sweeping look of relief crosses Azula's face. But she is ignored. She'll soon slip into unconsciousness again.

More figures join the Water Tribe girl and Air Nation boy as they stare at Zuko's lifeless body, surely contemplating on what punishment Azula really deserves. He will never be forgotten.


	2. News

_Thanks to Angsty Anime Girl for encouraging me to continue on :) There will be more chapters after this!!! Enjoy and please review!_

_Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Avatar. No. Way. No. How._

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She glares daggers of pure hatred at the Fire Nation Princess and strides over to her, (_a lot of)_ resentment, fury and anger bottled up inside of her ready to unleash it, no holds barred.

Katara stares down at the pathetic teenager who lifts her head and their eyes lock. Without her mastery bending to aid her, Katara hits Azula across the face. And as skin meets skin Azula shrieks and her head turns to the side. She is careful so that no tears well up in her eyes as she looks back into those hatred filled eyes. She will not be beaten, she will never be defeated. No one can ever take her pride away from her.

Katara's breaths are short gasps as if she is struggling to let air reach her lungs as her shoulders and chest heave. And finally Azula does something she _should _regret, something unforgiveable. She smiles at Katara, nothing more, nothing less. She smiles a handsome, picture perfect smile and Katara's teeth and fists clench.

"I win," Azula whispers in a way that sends shivers down Katara's spine.

Tears start to pour from Katara's eyes but they are ignored, they aren't important right now. What _is _important though is what she is going to do with Azula after all she has done. What does she really deserve?

Katara hears a voice in her head, Aang's. The distant voice in her head repeats the words Aang had spoke. "It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive." Then in her mind's eye she sees the fateful day when her mother died and Katara closed her eyes momentarily to shake the tragic memory out of her mind.

"I don't have time to deal with worthless scum like you who doesn't deserve the title of royalty," Katara spits and turns around to find Aang, Toph and Sokka staring at her sympathetically.

Sokka picks up Zuko's body in his arms and they leave without a backwards glance.

They walk grudgingly back to the palace without a sound exchanged between each other. It is just too unreal and just too terrible for anyone to grasp it. How could someone - one of their own group - die? How could it be after so many years of war? And just as it all ends, his life ends and now there is nothing to say, nothing to do. Although, it may be a dangerous thing leaving everyone to their thoughts, especially Katara who keeps regretting with every step she takes that she didn't unleash payback on Azula.

But they all have grudges against Azula, and now they have another to add to the long list. But deceitful as she may be, they couldn't help but to blame Ozai for all this. But, what did happen to Ozai?

Sokka grunts as he struggles to keep Zuko in his arms and off the ground.

The sun beating heavily on their backs but they don't dare to complain. There are worst things in the world than a little bit of sweat.

And eventually they arrive at the palace where Iroh is standing in front of hundreds upon hundreds of fire nation citizens who are loudly cheering, grinning and bowing.

As his eyes lay upon the kids he beams and beckons them over. Unfortunately, he can not see the motionless figure of his nephew in the arms of the Water Tribe warrior due to the large crowd standing in front of them.

Sokka swallows a lump in his throat, and with tear-stricken eyes he looks to the others who stare back at him with none other than a blank look. _He's going to find out sometime. But is this right time or place to do so?_

Sokka takes in a deep breath and exhales loudly. As he takes a step forward he stops.

"I can't. Not now, not in front of all these people," Sokka explains in a croaky voice, as if he's voice is cracking due to his adolescent age.

Sokka scans the content crowd who are still cheering and Iroh beckons them over again more feverishly this time.

Sokka shakes his head. "Go tell Iroh to go to the palace's backyard. Tell him anything; just don't let him deal with this in front of everyone."

Without an exchange of any type of gesture the others squeeze their way through the crowd to meet Iroh. Sokka takes one last look at Iroh before turning around to find a way to the palace's yard.

The gaang reach Iroh and whisper in his ear what Sokka had told them to say. He shoots them a quizzical look but none the less leads the way to the yard to leave the crowd of civilians, mothers and their children, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, whooping loudly for a victory of sorts. The end of the war.


	3. Done bun can't be undone

Sokka lays Zuko gently on the lush grass beside the turtle duck pond. He sits beside him and stares out at the turtle ducks skimming atop the water elegantly, their heads held high. They have no idea a war had been going on for over a hundred years, that it had now ended and that Zuko had now just died. They have no war, no turmoil churning inside of them, just freedom.

"What's this all about?" Sokka hears Iroh ask curiously in his booming voice.

Sokka turns around to see Iroh, Aang, Toph and Katara walking down the palace's steps and toward where he sits. Sokka braces himself for what is about to come.

No one answers Iroh and he chuckles. "Is this some big Fire Lord surprise or…Prince Zuko," he finishes quietly as he sees the body of Zuko looking grief stricken.

"Prince Zuko," he whispers.

Iroh is immediately by Zuko's side and brings him into a bone crushing hug. He then holds Zuko at arms length and shakes him softly. "Nephew, please wake up. I can't lose another son! No, please, no."

Iroh begins sobbing against Zuko's body and Sokka places a comforting hand on Iroh's shoulder. He shrugs it off violently but Sokka soon enough returns it on his shoulder.

"Why? How did-?" Iroh questions unable to form a complete sentence. And then he lifts his head and turns around to Sokka. An upset but angry demeanor plastered on his face he asks darkly, "Who? Who did this?"

Seconds pass and no one answers. He says louder, "Who did this?! Was it Azula?"

Still no response.

"WAS IT?!" he screams.

Sokka recoils his hand and nods solemnly.

Iroh looks toward Katara and asks quietly, "Is there nothing you can do?"

No sound can escape her lips, so she merely mouths a 'no' and looks downcast shaking her head. She kneels down beside Iroh and says, "I'm sorry."

To Iroh it was like losing Lu Ten all over again. Losing his own son, taken away from him by Zuko's sister, Iroh's niece but also Zuko's father, Iroh's brother. Everyone, the fire nation, they took his nephew, his son away from him. And now he has no one left.

Iroh bravely stands up but doesn't have the heart to leave the body of his nephew, not like this he can't. "Where's Azula?"

"Bound to a grate where-"

"I know where it is. I'll see her get taken care of."

Katara gulps but doesn't say anything. He wouldn't do anything _too _drastic. Right?

"Can we take him inside?" Iroh asks shakily.

Sokka nods and picks Zuko back up into his arms. No matter how heavy he is Sokka's definitely wasn't going to give Iroh that job; it'll be more like a burden on his shoulders. They walk back inside the palace grimly and Iroh shows Sokka Zuko's former bedroom.

He opens the door slowly and stifles back another sob. He hasn't been in this room for years. It floods him with old memories of Zuko as a small child, the war meeting, Ursa's departure and finally the day Zuko was burnt. The room is quite dusty and dank. It hasn't seen the light of day in years. The bed and dresser drawers are still intact and Iroh leads the others inside.

"I have to attend to some business," Iroh states formally.

The gaang understands perfectly what he means and lets Iroh leave to attend to the matter of Azula.

Zuko is laid down on the left side of his made bed, its quilt covered in reds. Katara falls into a chair and cries. "She's a monster!"

Toph in whom the gaang had never seen cry, sat on the end of Zuko's bed and let the tears stream down her cheeks freely.

Aang looks up to see Mai and Ty lee arrive over the threshold. They stare at Zuko's body and before they can react Sokka points at them accusingly out of sudden impulse and shouts, "See what you're crazy friend has done! She's killed him, and she doesn't care."

More tears are shed but no more fingers are pointed. Pointing fingers can't bring back Zuko. But what crosses through their minds is, _but revenge is the closest thing to it._

But none of them really mean it. Especially Aang and Ty Lee, the most fragile caring people of the lot would never dare to retaliate with revenge. But they're definitely able to glimpse the thought in their mind.

Minutes later Iroh walks back in shutting the door behind him. He addresses them all as if Mai and Ty lee had been there the whole time, "She is being locked underground in a high security prison cell."

His eyes are red and pudgy but his face still stands strong as he catches a glimpse of Mai sitting next to the body of his nephew.

And the rest of the week wasn't to tribute the new Fire Lord it was to pay respect to the passing of a boy who had found his place in the world and knew the path he was going to take and what he was willing to do when taking that path.

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Well seeing as though I hadn't originally planned to continue this I don't know where to go with it, sorry guys and girls. So this was in fact the last chapter. 3 chapters, yes weird I know :P But I do hope you enjoyed reading it. It was pretty deep for me lol plus at the moment I'm not a huge fan of reading/writing anything after the finale. Don't ask me why. But I do hope you review and I'll get some more fics up soon :) Thanks a lot to Angsty Anime Star and

Fairies-Are-Real for being my reviewers! 


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